It seems as though nowadays the fraudulent phone calls usually have a spoofed caller ID number. As an example, I just received a call that appeared to be from 981-111-1111. Other times a number will end with 0000. In this most recent call, a man with a strong Indian accent told me he was from the Windows Operating System Support Center, or something like that. I asked how he got my number, and he said he got my number because I am a Windows user. In fact, I have not been a Windows user for about ten years. Since I have received calls from this particular scam in the past, I know that he was going to tell me I have a virus on my computer. I cussed at him and he hung up. (Yes, I know: bad form to cuss at a minimum-wage call-center employee, but I was angry.)
My question: Does Verizon have any place to report such calls? Are they trying to do anything about such calls? Are they doing anything to change phone protocols to make it impossible for scammers to spoof the caller-ID number? I'm on the Do-Not-Call list, but when the caller ID number is spoofed, I'm sure the government cannot do anything. I know we all get such calls, and I know blocking the numbers does no good since they constantly change their spoofed number.
I often get important calls from numbers I do not recognize, so ignoring unknown numbers is not an option, and the scam calls seldom use obviously spoofed numbers as this one did.
Is there anything we can do? Verizon, are you making any effort to combat such calls, and if so, how can I help you?
(I wanted to send an email to Verizon, but could not find an email form or customer service email address, and when I called *611 I got a recording saying there was a longer-than-usual wait time, and then it hung up on me. So I'm posting in the Community Forum, partly to vent, partly hoping for answers, and partly hoping Verizon will see this and reply.)
daniel1948, we hear you loud and clear! Your account security and privacy is important to us and we do take steps to ensure it stays that way. However, spoofing is not caused by an error in the network or your phone. Rather, spoofing usually happens when the calling party uses any one of a number of pay services (such as Spooftel, Spoofer or Spoof Card), which provide a service that enables the calling party to change the message, sent as Caller ID. We do have services such as Family Base or our Call and Messaging block that we can look into to block specific numbers from coming in in the future. However, if these have not been working for you to prevent these calls you would also be able to change your mobile number at no charge.
AdamG_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
Thanks for your reply.
But it seems to me that there is a weakness in the protocol when it is even possible for services such as you mention to spoof a phone number. At worst, the company offering the spoofing service should have to show their own real phone number.
Blocking specific numbers does not help because they keep changing the spoofed number. When I get such calls I put them in my phone's address book, name them "Spam" and set the ring tone to No Ring. I never get another call from the same number. (It would show up as a missed call.)
Changing my own number would not help because I'm sure they use a robocaller that just calls every number. I'm already on the Do Not Call list, and that helps reduce calls from "legitimate" solicitors, but the real frauds don't respect it.
What's needed, and I know it would not be easy, but ought to be possible, is a protocol for the caller ID data that accompanies calls, that would make it impossible to spoof the caller ID information. Then, at the very least, such calls could be reported to the government as violations of the Do Not Call list and they'd know who the caller really was. At present they can do nothing because they have no way of knowing who really made the call.
The present phone system grew up in an age when this was not an issue because long-distance calls were too expensive to be profitable for spammers. It is time now for a complete revision to the protocols which would address the problem by making spoofing impossible, or at least too expensive for spamming to be profitable.
Thanks for your time and consideration. I know we have the same interests here. These criminals are stealing money from the people who can least afford it, and the lack of any means for tracking their calls gives them a level of protection from discovery that is just not acceptable.
Start a new topic or ask questions in the open forum.
